Apparatus for echo distance measurement



' Feb. 22, 1944. 5 TURNER, JR 2,342,171

APPARATUS FOR ECHO DISTANCE MEASUREMENT Original Filed Jan. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5% ie'y- .i H J) 0 0 O 0 0 0 O O O O O r 5 I I Q 20 1 I i 6 6 2* f J" 6 i 68 9 o 0/0 0 O O O O O 0 0 O r .2 a7 4 .729 F m 12 9 'fi- V///// 4 Z 87 I a Q ,Z'nvenio'}.

Feb. 22, 1944. E TURNER, JR 2,342,171

APPARATUS FOR ECHO DISTANCE MEASUREMENT Original Filed Jan. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A l MMQ INTERMEDIATE EL 59 2.31 522; I as a; 3

,lnventon EDWM/ETURNER, we.

eflbborn/eg.

Patented Feb. 22, 1944 APPARATUS FOR ECHO DISTANCE MEASUREMENT Edwin E. Turner, Jr.,

signor to Submarine Mass,

West Roxbury, Mass as- Signal Company, Boston,

a corporation of Maine Original application January 5, 1940, Serial No. 312,504. Divided and this application November 22, 1940, Serial No. 366,638

1 Claim.

The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 312,504, filed J anuary 5, 1940, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to echo distance measuring systems and to recording apparatus therefor.

The general principle of echo distance measurement and depth sounding is well known. A compressional wave impulse is transmitted to the water and the reflected signal is received and used to operate an indicator. The time interval between the emitted signal and the received echo is a measure of the distance or depth. This time interval is frequently measured by comparing it with a constant known speed. Thus where a record of the depth is desired, a marking element is usually moved at a constant speed over a chart, a signal impulse being emitted at the instant the marking point crosses a zero line on the chart and a mark being made on the chart at the instant the echo is received. If the chart be continuously advanced between soundings, the record of the successive periodic measurements will form a graph of the depths traversed. Recording instruments of this type have heretofore been used with more or less success.

The present invention provides, among other things, an improved depth sounding recorder which is particularly adapted for the measurement of both shallow and deeper depths and which, furthermore, produces a record of greater accuracy. It is, moreover, arranged to provide a rugged and serviceable construction.

The various features and objects of the present invention will best be understood from the following description taken with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the record chart and marking element; Fig. 1a is an end elevation of the marking platen; Fig. 2 is a partial section of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 and including also the range-shifting mechanism; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the scale-shifting mechanism; Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 2 taken along the line IVIV and may be regarded as a back elevation of a portion of the range-shifting mechanism; Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the zero adjustment taken along the line VV in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the marking stylus holder; Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of the same; Fig. 8 is a schematic wiring diagram of the transmitting circuit; Fig. 9 is a. schematic wiring diagram of a receiving circuit.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a chart or record paper 1 is passed over a. platen 2 of conducting material from the roll 3 over an idling roller 4 to a take-up spool 5. Mounted on a shaft 6 rotated at a constant speed by motor 1 is an arm 8 which carries the marking stylus 9. The motor I, while shown for simplicity as being directly connected to the arm 8, may, of course, be coupled to it through suitable gearing if desired. The record paper is preferably of the type havin a conductive carbon back with a thin light-colored coating on its front surface which is removed by the passage of an electric current through the paper. As will more fully appear, the current is passed from the stylus 9 through the paper I to the platen 2. Since the stylus itself is not required to do any work, it is only necessary that it remain light in contact with the paper at all times during its passage across the paper. The stylus is therefore in the form of a fine wire which is lightly pressed against the paper. The stylus holder can be seen in Fig. 2 and in the enlarged views of Figs. 6 and 7. The fine wire forming the stylus 8 is passed through a. small hole in a cylindrical member ID which is provided with a collar II at th center of mass of the member ID. A thumb screw i 2 passing through the collar and into the member in serves to hold the stylus wire in position. As the marking end of the wire wears away, readjustment can readily be made by loosening the screw i2 and pushing the wire 9 farther through the member ID until the desired point is again obtained.

The rotating arm 8 is provided at its end with a block i3 to which two plates 14 and i 5 are fastened. These are provided with pivots l6 and i! which engage the collar Ii to support the stylus on the arm 8. A light spring 18 fastened to the bottom end of the stylus holder l0 and to an extension l9 fastened to the block I 3 provides the necessary tension to press the stylus against the paper. The spring, moreover, serves to make good electrical connection between the stylus and conductor 86 which is connected to a slip ring 8'! insulated from the arm and the shaft.

In measuring shallow depths it is necessary to move the stylus across the chart paper very rapidly. Since the stylus is mounted at the end of the rotating arm 8, the stylus will describe a circle and will only periodically pass across the paper. In order to avoid any bouncing or chattering of the stylus as it moves across the chart a circular track 20 is provided against which the stylus bears while it is off the paper. The track 20 is fastened to or made integral with the platen 2. The latter is grooved slightly as shown in Fig. 1a, so that the surface of the paper lies in the same plane or very slightly below the surface of the track 20 and the edges of the platen. By this means the stylus rides onto the paper without any vibration and tearing of the edges of the paper is wholly avoided.

If a signal is emitted each time the marking point crosses the zero line, the maximum depth which can be recorded is that which corresponds to a time of travel of the wave from the ship to the bottom and back equal to the time required for the point 9 to move from the zero line to the line 55 at the opposite edge of the chart. In order to make it possible to use the instrument for deeper depths provision is made whereby the scale represented by the chart can be changed to include different depth ranges.

. This involves the transmitting circuit shown in Fig. 8. A condenser 2| is charged from a source of direct current through a charging resistor 22. When a signal is to be transmitted, the capacitor 2| is discharged through the windings 23 of a compressional wave producing device by the closing of contacts 24 and 25 through the operation of a cam 26 fixed to the rotating shaft 6 which also carries the marker arm 8. Thus a signal will be transmitted once during each revolution of the arm 8.

Zero adjustment and range selection are accomplished by varying the position of the contacts 24, 25 with respect to the cam 26 whose position bears a definite relation to the position of the stylus-carrying arm 8. The arrangement is shown in more detail in Figs. 2 to 5.

In the upper part of a frame 21 which may be a portion of the housing of the recorder there is formed a circular aperture concentric with the axis of the shaft 6. The edges of. the frame 21 at the aperture are thickened as at 28. The thickened portion is provided with an annular recess into which a flanged plate 29 is fitted. The plate 29 is provided with a central aperture and a recess on its inner side into which the flanged plate 30 is held by a supporting ring 3| and screws 32. The plate 30 carries ball bearing 33 forming the upper support for the end 6' of the shaft 8. The plate 36 is sufliciently loosely fitted into the plate 29 so that the plate 36 is rotatable by means of the knob 34. The plate 30 can, however, be locked in a series of predetermined positions by means of a pin 45 which is by means of spring 36 pressed into apertures in the plate 30 which are spaced to correspond to the predetermined positions above mentioned. When it is desired to rotate the plate 30 to a new position, the pin 45 is released by pulling upwards on the knurled knob 31 (Fig. 2). The plate 30 carries the contact mechanism which is best seen in Fig. 4. Contact 25 is fixed to the plate 30 as by the screw 38 and the block 39 which is mounted on the plate 36 by the screw 40. The movable contact 24 is mounted on an arm 4| pivoted at 42. A spring 43 fixed to the plate 30 by means of the bracket 44 serves to tension the contact 24 against contact 25. The contacts, which are suitably insulated from each other, are operated by the cam-follower 46 which is fixed to the arm 4| and which bears against the cam 26. The cam 26 may be circular with a fiat portion 41 as shown in Fig. 4. When the follower 46 is in contact with the flat portion 4'! of the cam, the contacts 24 and 25 are closed whereas during the remaining portion of the revolution of the cam 26 the contacts remain The cam 26 is positioned on the shaf open.

6 in such a way with respect to the marking arm 8 that a signal is normally transmitted at the instant the marking stylus 9 crosses the zero line on the chart I.

Assuming that the time of travel of the stylus 9 across the chart corresponds to a depth of 55 feet it will be evident that in order to record depths greater than 55 feet the outgoing signal must be emitted prior to the instant at which the stylus 9 crosses the zero line. A second depth range of, say, 35 to 90 feet may, therefore,

be chosen. The outgoing signal is produced at the proper instant for this purpose by rotating the plate 30 by means of the knob 34 carrying the contact assembly through an angle equal to the angle traversed by the stylus 9 between the zero and 35 foot lines on the-chart. The cam follower 46 is thereby rotated with respect to the cam 26 so that the outgoing signal will be produced at the proper instant.

Other depth ranges can be provided in a similar manner, the contact position being shifted with respect to the cam as predetermined by the location of the holes in the plate 30 which are engaged by the pin 45. The knob 34 may also serve as a pointer to indicate the depth range selected, the ranges being engraved on the plate 29 as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to provide a zero adjustment the plate 29 has a plurality of teeth 48 cut in a portion of its periphery, the teeth being engaged by a pinion 49 whose shaft 50 is driven by a gear 52 and a worm 5| which is rotatable by the knob 53. This arrangement is best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The worm 5| and gear 52 are mounted in a housing 54 which is fixed to the frame or case 21 of the instrument.

Fig. 9 shows the receiving circuit for causing the returning echo to produce a mark on the record paper. A compressional wave receiver having a voltage generating coil 56 is schematically indicated at 51. The coil 56 is connected to the primary winding 58 of an amplifier input transformer 59 having a secondary winding 66. The output of the secondary 68, shunted by the tuning condenser 6|, is impressed upon the grids 62 and 63 of amplifier tubes 64 and 65, respectively connected in push pull. The cathodes 66 and 61 of these tubes are grounded through resistor 68 and capacitor 69. The anodes I0 and H of the two tubes are connected through intermediate amplifier stages to the grids l4 and 15 of the last stage indicated at 12 and I3. In each stage the cathodes are grounded through a resistor and capacitor as in the case of the first stage. The anodes l6 and 11 are connected across the primary 18 of the output transformer 19. The anodes are provided with a potential by means of the center tap connection on the primary 18 which is connected to the positive terminal of the plate supply source, the negative terminal being grounded. One end of the secondary winding 6| of the output transformer is connected to the marking stylus 9. the other terminal being connected through the push button type normally closed switch 82 to ground. The stylus circuit is completed to ground through the paper and the platen 2 which is grounded. It will be noted that a portion of the output potential from the secondary 8| is fed back by means of the lead 83 to the common terminal of two series connected capacitors 84 and 85 shunted across the secondary 68 of the input transformer. By this means it is possible by depressing the push button 82 and freedom from stray signals. Furthermore, it

makes possible the simple arrangement just described for making "fix marks without causing any instability in the amplifier.

Having now described my invention, I claim: In an echo distance measuring system, the combination of a recording device having a stylus arranged to be moved repeatedly across the record paper and to produce a mark thereon in response to an electric potential, a signal receiving circuit for producing a marking potential upon the receipt of a signal impulse, said receiving circuit including a push-pull amplifier of an odd number of stages both sides of which are balanced with respect to ground, said amplifier having input and output circuits, and means under the control of the operator for feeding back an amount of energy from the output of the amplifier to the input thereof sufllcient for setting it into oscillation, whereby an electrical potential is produced for making a reference 15 mark on the record paper.

EDWIN E. TURNER, JR. 

